State high court to hear Ann Arbor drug death case involving local attorney

The Michigan Supreme Court will hear arguments in a local case involving a former Ann Arbor attorney charged with paying for drugs that led to a women's overdose death in his Ann Arbor apartment three years ago.

It appears the case against Ronald Plunkett will be the first legal challenge the high court will hear on a relatively new law that holds drug providers in private and social settings criminally responsible in fatal overdoses, attorneys said.

Plunkett, 52, was charged with a felony count of delivery causing death in August 2007, 14 months after 22-year-old Tiffany Gregory collapsed in the bedroom of his Ann Arbor apartment from the effect of a combination of alcohol, cocaine and heroin.

The U.S. Army medic's death was ruled an accidental overdose.

Washtenaw County Circuit Judge Melinda Morris dismissed the charge because court testimony showed Plunkett's girlfriend at the time physically gave Gregory the drugs, though he paid and provided transportation.

Prosecutors appealed and lost before taking the case to the Supreme Court, which will decide whether or not to reinstate the charges.

Plunkett is scheduled to appear in local court for a pre-trial hearing on May 11 that will likely be adjourned until after a ruling from the high court, Chief Assistant Washtenaw County Prosecutor Joe Burke said.

Attorneys have six weeks to file legal briefs and no hearing date has been set.

"It's an argument of first impressions and it's important because this needs to be resolved," said John Shea, Plunkett's attorney. "They've indicated they want to leave clear guidance on how the statute is to be interpreted in the future."

The court also indicated it would accept legal arguments from both the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan and the Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan.